When Nevadans attempt to exercise their right to medical self-determinism — by participating in the medical marijuana program — their mere participation “incriminates” them within the meaning of the 5th Amendment (which prohibits the government from compelling you to “incriminate” yourself). In short, Nevada’s MMJ program is unconstitutional — because it violates the Fifth Amendment — by incriminating those who participate. Yes, merely having a medical marijuana ID card “incriminates” patients — because those patients are viewed as “criminals” in the eyes of FEDERAL law enforcement agents. Remember, while many STATES pass medical marijuana laws (and recreational marijuana laws), marijuana remains illegal under FEDERAL law. Truth is, medical marijuana creates the most aberrant and bizarre legal fiction of all-time — under state law, weed is “medicine,” but under federal law, weed is “contraband” (go figure!). But remember, this NEVER goes away. At all times, participants in medical marijuana programs — in all states — are subject to DEA raids. The sad reality of medical marijuana — is that the patient programs create lazy DEA agents. Once upon a time, law enforcement agents would pound the streets and investigate leads — like the old-fashioned, gumshoe detectives of yesteryear! But thanks to medical marijuana programs, DEA agents never have to leave the office! They just phone Carson City or Sacramento, ask for the patient registry — and voila — instant “probable cause!” Know this —>> if your name appears in the MMJ registry in Nevada, then the DEA has “probable cause” to believe that YOU are a “criminal” within the meaning of the FEDERAL Controlled Substances Act. YOU have been incriminated — in violation of the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Know your rights! ~~T. Matthew Phillips (NOT licensed to practice law in Nevada.)

There are over 400 phytonutrients that exist in Hemp Plants. Hemp is often mistaken for its cannabis cousin, marijuana, even though smoking an entire garbage bag of hemp would not produce an altered state of consciousness. Optimal brain health is achieved when linoleic acid (LA) and alpha linoleic acid (ALA) are consumed in a ratio only naturally found in hemp.

The brain also has a requirement for cannabinoids, which regulate most of the major functions of the body including alertness, emotions, inflammation and cancer defences. The brain can make a small number of its own cannabinoids, but as 4,000 years of history and decades of scientific research indicate, it operates optimally when supplied with dietary cannabinoids, such as those found in hemp.

The brain can build itself from saturated and monounsaturated fats but it has a preference for Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Research on humans and animals suggests that optimal brain health is achieved when linoleic acid (LA) and alpha linoleic acid (ALA) are consumed in a ratio of between 3.5:1 and 4:1–a ratio only naturally found in hemp.

Like other oil seeds, the hemp nut consists mainly of oil (typically 44%), protein (33%) and dietary fiber and other carbohydrates (12%, predominantly from residues of the hull). In addition, the nut contains vitamins (particularly the tocopherols and tocotrienols of the Vitamin E complex), phytosterols and trace minerals. Overall, hemp’s main nutritional advantage over other seeds lies in the composition of its oil, i.e. its fatty acid profile, and in its protein which contains all of the essential amino acids in nutritionally significant amounts and in a desirable ratio. More and more people are discovering the nutritional benefits of hemp seed, nut and oil.

What’s The Difference Between Hemp and Marijuana?

Confusion amongst the public on how exactly hemp oil differs from cannabidiol, or CBD, oil, has prompted the nonprofit Hemp Industries Association to issue a statement explaining the difference between the oils in order to ensure that consumers — specifically, medical marijuana patients — are not misled about the intended uses.

Confusion between hemp oil and marijuana oil has spiked recently, as states have passed medical marijuana laws that allow for the use of strains of marijuana that are low in THC and high in CBD. Consumers often confuse hemp oil with CBD oil because both are low in THC and contain CBD.

“With hemp research and development pilot programs taking off this spring, and the hemp retail market growing at an incredible rate, it’s crucial that consumers and retailers alike understand the difference between hemp oil and CBD extracts,” Eric Steenstra, executive director of Hemp Industries Association, said in a separate statement.
“Our Hemp Industries Association position regarding this distinction calls on makers of CBD products to brand and market their products truthfully and clearly, so as to not further the confusion surrounding CBD products in the marketplace.”

Though hemp oil does contain low levels of CBD, typically less than 25 parts per million (ppm), CBD extracts “are produced either directly from cannabis flowers that are up to 15 percent CBD (150,000 ppm), or indirectly as a co-product of the flowers and leaves that are mixed in with the stalks during hemp stalk processing for fiber.”

Because of this distinction, the association says, “It is important for American farmers and processors of hemp to understand that most CBD in products mislabeled as ‘hemp oil’ is a product of large-scale hemp stalk and fiber processing facilities in Europe where the fiber is the primary material produced at a large scale.

“CBD is not a product or component of hemp seeds, and labeling to that effect is misleading and motivated by the desire to take advantage of the legal gray area of CBD under federal law.”

Although hemp was once the most important cash crop in the United States — more so than corn and wheat combined — hemp was banned and classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. While classification as a Schedule I drug meant hemp could no longer be grown in the U.S., products containing hemp, such as lotions, fabric and food, are legal for purchase in the U.S. and are often found at natural and health food retailers including Whole Foods, Costco and Sprouts grocers.

Epilepsy and Brain Health

In many forms of epilepsy, damage to or faulty development of glucose receptors on brain cell membranes can starve brain cells of their preferred energy source. Going hand in hand with demand for glucose is oxygen delivery to brain cells. Depletion of either can result in a significant decrease in mental function.

Furthermore, essential fatty acid deficiency can lead to instability of brain cell membranes. This leaves the brain susceptible to damage and can cause aberrant electrical activity, resulting in seizures which in turn can cause further brain damage. This is a vicious circle of deficiency, dysfunction and deterioration.

A ketogenic diet is one in which a dietary emphasis on the medium chain triglycerides found in coconut oil leads to the production of ketones that can serve as an alternative energy source for brain cells. It has shown some limited success in improving function in metabolic conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

One possible reason for the modest success of some ketogenic approaches was the substitution of real food with highly processed powdered formulas consisting mostly of synthetic chemicals. Some even include synthetic omega 3 and 6 compounds, the synthetic sweetener sucralose and genetically modified high fructose corn syrup, all of which are suspected of actually causing brain damage and/or seizures.

According to scientific and clinical studies, hemp oil has the potential to help a range of conditions including epilepsy, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain, alcoholism, schizophrenia, PTSD, antibiotic-resistant infections, and various neurological disorders.

In addition to trying an alternative energy source, what if it were possible to address the underlying source of the brain’s energy problems? Here are five ways hemp could be the answer to combating epilepsy.

One of the biggest medical cannabis cases in the country is starting up in the heart of Kansas. Shona Banda is facing, what could be, the rest of her life in prison. Last year Banda was the target of a raid by law enforcement in Garden City, Kansas.

Officers conducted the raid after Banda’s 11-year-old son apparently knew “too much information” in relation to cannabis during a drug education class at his school. Remind you, Banda’s son lived in Colorado, where his mother is a medicinal marijuana patient and advocate.

Banda’s son was interviewed by law enforcement officers without having a parent or lawyer even notified. The state has also charged Banda with child endagerment, which shows how ridiculous their views on cannabis really are. This is not a cartel bust we are talking about, this is a middle aged mother. A mother who also suffers from an illness.

Banda suffers from Crohn’s disease, which she treats with cannabis. She wrote a book titled, “Live Free or Die: Reclaim Your Life… Reclaim Your Country.” Banda and her son both have a plethora of knowledge when it comes to the medical usage of cannabis. Knowledge that the state of Kansas refuses to accept.

This is why Banda’s trial is so significant. Yesterday was the arraignment for Kansas versus Shona Banda. It was decided that a 3 day motions hearing will be set to happen from July 27-29. This hearing will decide what scientific evidence will be allowed on behalf of the defense to show that Banda’s cannabis use is a medical necessity. This may force the state of Kansas to view cannabis as a medicine for the first time ever!

Instead of accepting a plea, Banda and her attorney, Sarah Swain, have decided to fight the state head on. Why you may wonder? Because Banda is not guilty of committing a crime for wanting to treat herself with a plant. Banda turned to cannabis to help with her Crohn’s, instead of risking further internal damage by taking pharmaceuticals.

Crohn’s disease is one of the many diseases that has shown positive results when treated with cannabis. Last week Daily Haze did an article on a Colorado man that is doing a 30 day trial of treating his Crohn’s disease with a high THC/CBD suppository.

Banda will be breaking ground in the Sunflower State. Never before has anyone based their defense off the grounds of cannabis being a medical necessity. Her case could force Kansas to take a step towards ending their foolish prohibition of those who would prefer to use medicinal marijuana over a dangerous pill.

Kansas is by far one of the least progressive states in the country in regards to cannabis, among many other things. The state desperately clings on to their outdated view of marijuana. Leading this ridiculous battle against medicinal cannabis is the state’s Chair of Health and Wellness, Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook.

Recently Morgan Freeman met with the Daily Beast to discuss his upcoming movie, however, another very interesting topic took up much of the discussion. Freeman describes his appreciation of pot, as well as supports the current movement to legalize it.

“They used to say, ‘You smoke that stuff, boy, you get hooked! My first wife got me into it many years ago. How do I take it? However it comes! I’ll eat it, drink it, smoke it, snort it! This movement is really a long time coming, and it’s getting legs—longer legs.

Freeman doesn’t stop there, he continues on to make comments about his distaste to alcohol, “Now, the thrust is understanding that alcohol has no real medicinal use. Maybe if you have one drink it’ll quiet you down, but two or three and you’re fucked.”

Use of butane to extract THC from pot plant material can cause explosions

And it comes with a THC concentration far beyond anything a run-of-the-mill joint would offer.

With that potency, along with the dangers from its production, shatter is offering police and policy makers a new set of challenges, perhaps particularly as the federal government moves toward legalizing marijuana.

“It’s the highly variable [tetrahydrocannabinol] concentration that you see where a lot of people get into dangers,” says Matthew Young, a senior research and policy analyst at the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.

“They don’t really know how much they’re taking. Without knowing how much they’re taking, they don’t necessarily know the effects it’s going to have on their mind and body.”

Strong marijuana derivatives like shatter are nothing new. But shatter has been drawing more public and police attention in recent months because of the potential for explosion as it is made, using the volatile solvent butane to extract the THC from the marijuana “shake” or plant leftovers.

“The risks and the hazards related to the production of shatter are as high if not higher than a methamphetamine lab because of the amount of solvents that’s being used,” says Luc Chicoine, the RCMP’s national drug program co-ordinator.

“Those solvents go in the air. Often it’s being done in residences and in enclosed areas, and then you’re increasing the risk for explosion.”

Hard to get the numbers

Tracking shatter — which can have a consistency like hard caramel or peanut brittle — across Canada is not that easy. Police reports don’t necessarily break out shatter separately from other forms of marijuana, although news releases sometimes mention its seizure.

“Typically shatter won’t be found by itself,” says Mike Serr, deputy chief constable of the Abbotsford Police Department and chair of the drug abuse committee for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

Shatter is sometimes produced using the solvent butane to extract the THC from the ‘shake’ or leftovers of the marijuana plant. (CBC)
While shatter has been turning up in police reports across the country, it has emerged in particular in B.C.

Going back to 2013, police have come across seven marijuana oil extraction labs in the Lower Mainland. Six of those discoveries were the result of an explosion, says Serr, In most cases, there was at least one person injured. In one instance, it led to a death.

Serr sees several reasons for the increasing attention being paid to shatter.

“I think the culture around marijuana is changing. People are always looking for new products, derivatives, edibles and those kinds of things,” he says, noting also a “change in the culture” because of all the talk about the possible medical uses of marijuana and legalization.

When it comes to the treatment of a multitude of different medical illnesses cannabis is making waves throughout the medical community.Marijuana is proven to help control many symptoms that are associated with diseases of all types. From cancers and epilepsy to PTSD and autism marijuana is showing great success in treating and helping individuals to manage their symptoms. Cannabis oil along with whole plant therapy are proving to work wonders in many ways.

Cannabis is giving young children the ability to walk, talk, breathe, and live a normal life for the first time as well as giving parents the joy and relief of not watching their child suffer on a daily basis. That alone is priceless if you have ever been in those parent’s shoes. With PTSD, it is helping our soldiers as well as other individuals who live with this disorder on a daily basis. Cannabis helps to soothe the minds of these individuals and ease the pain that they are suffering from for many.

Growing marijuana is proving to be as therapeutic as consuming it. For example, individuals who suffer from PTSD are finding great therapeutic relief in the gardening aspects that are associated with growing cannabis. They also, tend like anyone, to benefit from the nurturing process involved with growing a plant. Not only do they get the benefits and therapy from gardening they also get the benefits of growing their own medicine and the peace of mind that comes with it.

This is often a very crucial and essential thing that allows for a calm, peaceful environment for those who suffer from PTSD. So if you’re considering growing your own cannabis for the therapeutic aspects and attributes associated with it, there is one thing to know. That is most likely you’re going to love it! Grow it for fun, grow it for medicine, grow it just to see if you can. Who knows you may find a new hobby that becomes a passion that stems from a deep connection to a diversity of cultures from around the globe.

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